bloodrayne
12-31-2004, 09:42 PM
Glue Sniffing Suspected In Man's Death In Trash Bin
Akron- A Massillon man probably sniffed glue and then died in a cardboard-filled trash bin where he sought shelter on a bitter cold weekend, police said.
Stunned workers at an Akron recycling company discovered Barney Holbert, 46, around 11:30 a.m. Monday on a conveyor belt at an Akron recycling company.
The Summit County medical examiner's office did an autopsy Tuesday and found no indication of violence. More tests are needed to determine the cause of death. Holbert was dead before he was dumped into a garbage truck, the office said.
Holbert was single and unemployed and lived with his foster mother, Massillon police Detective Nevada Gump said.
Holbert had a history of sniffing glue and paint solvent, Gump said. Holbert was paroled in May after serving 20 years in prison for assault and aggravated burglary in Summit County, Gump said.
Family members last saw Holbert on Sunday afternoon, he said.
By Sunday night, Holbert was in a metal recycling container with a lid, approximately 3 feet wide and up to 6 feet deep, said Rick Claar, assistant general manager of Republic Waste Services. Late Sunday or early Monday, the container was picked up and emptied by a truck that gathers cardboard at Massillon businesses, he said.
The truck brought its load to the Massillon company's recycling center on Hazel Street in Akron. It dumped the cardboard on the concrete floor, and a front-end loader lifted the material to a conveyor belt, Claar said. Employees remove items from the belt that cannot be recycled, he said.
No one saw the fully clothed Holbert until he was on the belt, Claar said.
Homeless people sometimes crawl into trash bins to stay warm, but they usually yell when dumped into trash trucks, he said.
"This was unusual," he said.
According to court records, Massillon police charged Holbert on Dec. 13, his birthday, with sniffing glue. A warrant was issued Dec. 20 after he failed to appear for his arraignment in Massillon Municipal Court.
Gump said he found a tube of household adhesive at the Massillon Marketplace area, near where police think Holbert sought shelter.
Akron- A Massillon man probably sniffed glue and then died in a cardboard-filled trash bin where he sought shelter on a bitter cold weekend, police said.
Stunned workers at an Akron recycling company discovered Barney Holbert, 46, around 11:30 a.m. Monday on a conveyor belt at an Akron recycling company.
The Summit County medical examiner's office did an autopsy Tuesday and found no indication of violence. More tests are needed to determine the cause of death. Holbert was dead before he was dumped into a garbage truck, the office said.
Holbert was single and unemployed and lived with his foster mother, Massillon police Detective Nevada Gump said.
Holbert had a history of sniffing glue and paint solvent, Gump said. Holbert was paroled in May after serving 20 years in prison for assault and aggravated burglary in Summit County, Gump said.
Family members last saw Holbert on Sunday afternoon, he said.
By Sunday night, Holbert was in a metal recycling container with a lid, approximately 3 feet wide and up to 6 feet deep, said Rick Claar, assistant general manager of Republic Waste Services. Late Sunday or early Monday, the container was picked up and emptied by a truck that gathers cardboard at Massillon businesses, he said.
The truck brought its load to the Massillon company's recycling center on Hazel Street in Akron. It dumped the cardboard on the concrete floor, and a front-end loader lifted the material to a conveyor belt, Claar said. Employees remove items from the belt that cannot be recycled, he said.
No one saw the fully clothed Holbert until he was on the belt, Claar said.
Homeless people sometimes crawl into trash bins to stay warm, but they usually yell when dumped into trash trucks, he said.
"This was unusual," he said.
According to court records, Massillon police charged Holbert on Dec. 13, his birthday, with sniffing glue. A warrant was issued Dec. 20 after he failed to appear for his arraignment in Massillon Municipal Court.
Gump said he found a tube of household adhesive at the Massillon Marketplace area, near where police think Holbert sought shelter.